This invention relates to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to the processing of a stream of ordered input data to form a stream of ordered output data.
It is known to produce systems which generate a large volume of data in the form of a stream of ordered input data. Such systems included, for example, 3D beam forming imaging devices, such as ultrasonic imaging devices. These devices generate large volumes of data values from the receiving transducers. These data values form a number of streams of ordered input data values. These streams of ordered input data values are then subject, for example, to 3D beam forming processing in accordance with known imaging techniques in order to reconstruct a 3D image of a target object. Typically in known systems the stream ordered input data values are written into a large memory and then for each point of the image to be generated, the appropriate input data values are selected from within the memory and used to generate an output value for the point of interest within the image. Such systems typically require large amounts of memory and large amounts of processing power in order to handle the data volumes typical in imaging of a reasonably high resolution. These overheads increase cost, size and power consumption.
Other forms of processing upon large quantities of data formed of one or more streams of ordered input data are also known. For example, statistical analysis of data, such as bootstrap analysis, may similarly require a disadvantageous amount of processing resource and energy when performed in accordance with conventional techniques that store all of the data into a memory, calculate one or more indexes into that data for a particular point in the output being calculated, fetch the elements of the data from the memory to perform the desired calculations, store the result to a result memory and then iterate for the next point to be calculated.
Techniques which can perform more efficient processing upon streams of ordered input data with less overhead required are advantageous.